


Not Disappointed At All

by Neko_Crimson



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 06:43:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6184699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neko_Crimson/pseuds/Neko_Crimson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an unplanned identity revelation, Marinette and Adrien meet to discuss the situation. Or, at least, that's their plan. Unfortunately, their conversation (or rather, lack thereof) is so awkward, they don't manage to get much done. Short reveal/confession one-shot based on a prompt by otpprompts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Disappointed At All

They sat atop the Eiffel Tower, silently, the tension making the air heavy and full of static that only the two of them could feel. Adrien was staring. Marinette was avoiding eye contact at all costs, fidgeting with her hands. Neither of them wanted to have the upcoming conversation. Not like this. Not when they were busy, had things to do. Not when both just learned that the person they liked (although neither admitted that part) had always been so close. Not when they felt vulnerable.

Plagg let out an annoyed, exaggerated sigh, causing the teens to look up anxiously. It was the first noise within the past ten minutes, and the black cat-like entity earned a threatening glance from Tikki. This was between Marinette and Adrien, and the two kwami knew better than to interfere. Forcing any kind of action would make the situation worse.

Thankfully, the noise distracted them from their thoughts.

“So, uh... You’re Ladybug.”

Well, almost.

After a difficult battle against Hawk Moth’s latest victim, Ladybug and Chat Noir had only one direction to go before their transformations wore off, unless they wanted to reveal themselves to the newly-purified civilian. So, in that direction they went, until...

They hadn’t escaped fast enough to separate, and under the dire circumstances, had to share the same hiding spot. If it weren’t for the first time, it could’ve gone well enough... Except, for good reason, Marinette had wanted to keep her heroine activity out of her civilian life, and now that idea and safety was crushed, because now she knew who Chat Noir – Adrien – was, and he knew who she was. The cat was out of the bag, or it would be, if Adrien wasn’t in such a shock that he couldn’t make puns. His faux bravado had been shattered in that moment, because this isn’t how he’d wanted it to happen, not like that. And now there was no going back.

After only a moment’s hesitation more, both of them were doing their best to hold themselves together, and barely managed to arrange to meet that night, so they could discuss it. It was almost a good plan.

Except, Adrien had just discovered Ladybug’s identity. Ladybug, the girl whose affection he’d been trying to win this whole time, whose secret he’d wanted to discover for so long. And that it’d be cute, kind Marinette would only be a plus. But, it was wrong. Everything added up, and yet, somehow, the puzzle should have looked brighter than this. How could he feel so wrong when everything that was happening was just right?

He could only assume Marinette felt similar. She was crushing on him, hard, and while he didn’t notice until just recently, it was now glaringly conspicuous. He was probably the last to find out, actually. So why was she now avoiding his gaze like the plague? Did she like him less for being Chat Noir? Or did she just feel how he did now?

So they sat quietly together, avoiding the inevitable until Plagg sighed, and until Adrien awkwardly spoke up, a bit more nervously than he’d have liked to.

“... Yeah,” Marinette answered weakly, barely more than a squeak. Adrien wasn’t even certain that he was meant to hear it.

“I’m glad,” he responded. Then, noticing that they were both blushing, he added hastily, “that it’s you and not... Someone else like... Chloe or...” He gulped, hoping his heart would fall from where it had jumped up to his throat. Marinette’s face was almost as red as the suit she was no longer wearing. _If she was,_ Adrien thought melancholically, _would this be any easier?_ Thoughts like those were easier than admitting to himself that he was just digging his own grave.

Silence settled in again, before Marinette sighed.

“You’ve been... Flirting with me all this time.” It wasn’t a question, and their faces only reddened for it.

“You’ve been flirting back,” Adrien said, not intending for his voice to be as harsh, or shaky, as it came out, shocked that it was possible for a voice to be both at once. He didn’t want to confirm, for some reason. His voice of reason wouldn’t let him. _This is wrong,_ it repeated grimly. _This is wrong, this is so wrong._ He couldn’t place why it would be. It just was.

“You’re not disappointed?” Marinette asked. If she’d avoided eye contact any more than she was right now, she’d fall from the beam they were sitting on. Almost three hundred meters, probably to her doom. She didn’t seem to notice, or care, how far she was leaning over to avoid the boy next to her. “... That it was me, I mean.”

“Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?”

“Because I’m...”

If the question wasn’t so shocking that Adrien was left staring at her, her trailed off response would be. His pupils grew to the size of saucers when she finished her thought.

“Because I’m me,” she said.

 _Because I’m unworthy,_ he heard.

He just couldn’t piece it together. As normal, everyday Adrien, he was regarded as overly attractive and intelligent, sure. The child of Gabriel Agreste, world-renown fashion designer, and his star model. He was rich, and took piano, Chinese, and fencing lessons. All of that was true, but he was also shy, easy-going, nerdy, stressed, over-scheduled, lonely, and under-dosed in genuine love and affection.

As Chat Noir, he was bold, flirty, loyal, athletic, funny, and kind of a dork. Chat Noir also gave Adrien the chance to meet and fight beside Ladybug. Adrien’s Miraculous was his escape route, and that was okay. It was also okay that Chat Noir and Adrien were so different. Because, really, they weren’t. They were the exact same. All of Adrien’s assets and flaws were Chat Noir’s, and Chat Noir’s were Adrien’s, even if nobody else was ever allowed to know.

Did Marinette not feel the same way about herself? It was true, Adrien thought, that Ladybug always looked at their powers more professionally than he. Marinette had less to run away from, and viewed them as a necessity, to keep Paris safe. But was that all there was to it? Or...

Did Marinette maybe not even like Ladybug in the first place? Or was it still so surreal to her, that they were the same person? Adrien thought, too, that he and Chat Noir were different, at first, but...

“Ladybug,” he started, trying to test the words in his mind before speaking them aloud, avoiding eye contact all the while, “is nice, smart, helpful, beautiful, and reliable, and she’s always doing her best to save Paris.”

Marinette, misunderstanding, shrunk down with each addition. Her eyes watered, the tears becoming increasingly heavy until they threatened to fall.

“Marinette is nice, sweet, inventive, amazingly talented, absolutely adorable, a great friend to everyone who needs her, and just a tad on the sassy side. She doesn’t take anyone’s crap and gives justice and mercy as deserved, and she’s always putting others ahead of herself even when she doesn’t have to.” Adrien pretended not to notice the tears streaming down her face, and as a final attempt to make the conversation more light-hearted, added just for good measure, “and she can kick my ass at video games with no effort at all.”

Marinette choked, and Adrien quickly glanced to his side to see her, still crying, but smiling weakly, her lips quivering.

“You don’t... Regret it?”

“My only regret is that it happened like this.”

Adrien scratched at the back of his head nervously, and Marinette, confused and overjoyed as she was, leaned over and hugged him, making some semblance of an attempt not to cry all over his shoulder. Tikki sighed happily, glad to see the two humans working this out. Plagg grunted, disgusted by the whole ordeal.

“So, uh,” Marinette stuttered out once she’d finished crying, “how is this going to work? I mean – us, but, I mean – Ladybug and Chat Noir – I mean –”

She was interrupted by an unfortunately timed phone call. On Adrien’s phone. And they both knew this because of his ringtone.

Normally, Adrien kept his phone on vibrate. But when a cute energetic Japanese pop song played instead, Marinette couldn’t help but giggle. Adrien couldn’t hide his embarrassment, either, which just made it all the more funny. Marinette was soon clutching her stomach, laughing on her side as Adrien made effort to grab at and answer his phone. Marinette was kind enough to silence her laughing as Adrien’s face quickly turned to a frown. A few yeahs and okays later, and Adrien pocketed the device.

“Was that –”

“It was –”

“– From an anime?” Marinette was back to laughing, and Adrien shifted his weight from foot to foot, only a little flustered with how the scene played out.

“Yes?” he said. “It’s... A good show, I mean –” he wasn’t used to being the one stuttering, especially between the two of them.

“Sorry, it just sounds so _girly,”_ Marinette forced out between laughs.

“Don’t make this a repeat of the Reflekta thing, please.” If he was embarrassed before, there were no words to describe how he felt now. He made a mental note to put his phone back on vibrate as soon as possible.

“A-ahaha, sorry, just – anyways,” she cleared her throat. “That call, you...?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, I have to go. We’ll, uh... Get to this later?” Plagg flew down to where he was, knowing the only safe way down would be through Chat Noir.

“Sure,” Marinette stood and stretched. “I should get going, too. Tikki!”

“Plagg!”

“Transform me!” The children called out in unison, and in a flash of pink and green light, they changed back into Ladybug and Chat Noir.

“Well, then, until next time, My Lady,” Chat said in as flirty a tone as his voice would currently allow, flicking a two-fingered salute from his forehead.

“Maybe you can show me that anime later,” Ladybug winked and stuck her tongue out as she grabbed her yo-yo, swinging away before Chat had a chance to respond.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Your characters are having a very deep/important conversation and suddenly someones phone goes off with the ringtone of a really stupid anime theme song."
> 
> The song that Adrien has his ringtone set to is described vaguely enough that you can imagine anything you want for it, but I had Kokoro No Tamago by Buono! (Shugo Chara's first opening song) in mind when writing, based on a suggestion from a friend. Since any anime theme song would be "stupid" in this scenario, I wouldn't worry about it if you actually like the song. I know I did, and I still find it catchy.


End file.
